--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But she spoke as though it were a matter…" description: "\"“But she spoke as though it were a matter of weeks rather than of years; as though, too, before our parting we had been firm friends. It was dead contr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1b/evelyn-waugh-850_friendship_but-she-spoke-as-though-it-were-a-matter_1947404.jpg" --- # But she spoke as though it were a matter of weeks rather… ![“But she spoke as though it were a matter of weeks rather than of years; as though, too, before our parting we had been firm friends. It was dead contrary to the common experience of such encounters, when time is found to have built its own defensive lines, camouflaged vulnerable points, and laid a…” quote by Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1b/evelyn-waugh-850_friendship_but-she-spoke-as-though-it-were-a-matter_1947404.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1b/evelyn-waugh-850_friendship_but-she-spoke-as-though-it-were-a-matter_1947404.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1b/evelyn-waugh-850_friendship_but-she-spoke-as-though-it-were-a-matter_1947404.jpg) > ““But she spoke as though it were a matter of weeks rather than of years; as though, too, before our parting we had been firm friends. It was dead contrary to the common experience of such encounters, when time is found to have built its own defensive lines, camouflaged vulnerable points, and laid a field of mines across all but a few well-trodden paths, so that, more often than not, we can only signal to one another from either side of the tangle of wire. Here she and I, who were never friends before, met on terms of long and unbroken intimacy.”” [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A brief encounter feels as intimate as a long friendship, defying the usual distance time creates between strangers. **In simple terms:** Unexpected closeness can happen quickly. Key Takeaway Cherish sudden deep connections. Themes friendship intimacy time unexpected relationships Mood reflective hopeful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - first meetings - conflict zones - brief reunions - intense dialogues Key Concepts psychology human connection temporal perception Questions to Reflect On - How do you sustain intimacy after a brief meeting? - What risks arise from rapid closeness? A Different Perspective Such immediacy may be fragile and unsustainable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Intimacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intimacy/) [Romance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romance/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“I never see you now,’ she said. ‘I never seem to see anyone I like. I don’t know why.’ But she spoke as though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/i-never-see-you-now-she-said-i-never-seem-to-see-anyone-i-like-i-don/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [“It was dead contrary to the common experience of such encounters, when time is found to have built its own defensive lines, camouflaged vulnerable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/it-was-dead-contrary-to-the-common-experience-of-such-encounters-when/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [I lost many friendships because of my wealth. When my friends met me, they had an agenda in mind. Just because I had money,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sudha-murty/i-lost-many-friendships-because-of-my-wealth-when-my-friends-met-me/) [Sudha Murty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sudha-murty/) > [The books - the generous friends who met me without suspicion - the merciful masters who never used me ill!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilkie-collins/the-books-the-generous-friends-who-met-me-without-suspicion-the-2/) [Wilkie Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilkie-collins/) > [“My great-great grandfather and I were the best of friends, although we never met”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raji-singh/my-great-great-grandfather-and-i-were-the-best-of-friends-although-we/) Raji Singh > [Especially today, with the Internet, you have people who have best friends that they never met, with Facebook and Twitter and stuff. If you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astro/especially-today-with-the-internet-you-have-people-who-have-best/) [Astro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astro/) > [Im happy to have friends,to met new faces,cause its a gift from god!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemelito-constantino/im-happy-to-have-friends-to-met-new-faces-cause-its-a-gift-from-god/) [Jemelito Constantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jemelito-constantino/) > [Even among those who I would not count as 'friends,' I have met many people online who have simply commented on my work or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-swartz/even-among-those-who-i-would-not-count-as-friends-i-have-met-many/) [Aaron Swartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-swartz/) > [“Show your netiquette, to become cyber friends with those you have met, on the internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chiles/show-your-netiquette-to-become-cyber-friends-with-those-you-have-met/) [David Chiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chiles/) > [“The books—the generous friends who met me without suspicion—the merciful masters who never used me ill! The only years of my life that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilkie-collins/the-books-the-generous-friends-who-met-me-without-suspicion-the/) [Wilkie Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilkie-collins/) > [The place where two friends first met is sacred to them all through their friendship, all the more sacred as their friendship deepens and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillips-brooks/the-place-where-two-friends-first-met-is-sacred-to-them-all-through/) [Phillips Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillips-brooks/) > [Two Good Friends Met After Many Years One Said I Missed Your Smile Alot But The Other Said I Missed My Own Smile Without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karal/two-good-friends-met-after-many-years-one-said-i-missed-your-smile/) Karal > [“Cigars had burned low, and we were beginning to sample the disillusionment that usually afflicts old school friends who have met again as men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hilton/cigars-had-burned-low-and-we-were-beginning-to-sample-the/) [James Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hilton/) > [I accidentally met Don Callis in Japan. I was at New Japan and I was with mutual friends, and I met Don on accident…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-bordeaux/i-accidentally-met-don-callis-in-japan-i-was-at-new-japan-and-i-was/) [Scarlett Bordeaux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-bordeaux/) > [I have never met you but yet I feel that we have. You were always there for her and now it's me who's there.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki/i-have-never-met-you-but-yet-i-feel-that-we-have-you-were-always/) [Nikki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki/) ## More by Evelyn Waugh > [If, for instance, they have heard something from the postman, they attribute it to a semi-official statement; if they have fallen into conversation with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/if-for-instance-they-have-heard-something-from-the-postman-they/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [One can write, think and pray exclusively of others; dreams are all egocentric.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/one-can-write-think-and-pray-exclusively-of-others-dreams-are-all/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [“Sometimes," Helena continued, "I have a terrible dream of the future. Not now, but presently, people may forget their loyalty to their kings and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/sometimes-helena-continued-i-have-a-terrible-dream-of-the-future-not/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [“Rex has never been unkind to me intentionally. It's just that he isn't a real person at all; he's just a few faculties of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/rex-has-never-been-unkind-to-me-intentionally-it-s-just-that-he-isn-t/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [If it could only be like this always – always summer, always alone, the fruit always ripe and Aloysius in a good temper...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/if-it-could-only-be-like-this-always-always-summer-always-alone-the/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [“My dear, I should like to stick you full of barbed arrows like a p-p-pin cushion...Where do you lurk? 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They're all sodomites with unpleasant accents." --Cousin Jasper”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/beware-the-anglo-catholics-they-re-all-sodomites-with-unpleasant/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [“The fortnight at Venice passed quickly and sweetly-- perhaps too sweetly; I was drowning in honey, stingless.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/the-fortnight-at-venice-passed-quickly-and-sweetly-perhaps-too/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [“It’s awful to think that I shall probably never, as long as I live, see you dancing like that again all by yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/it-s-awful-to-think-that-i-shall-probably-never-as-long-as-i-live-see/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [I've always been bad. Probably I shall be bad again, punished again. But the worse I am, the more I need God. I can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/i-ve-always-been-bad-probably-i-shall-be-bad-again-punished-again-but/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [His courtesy was somewhat extravagant. He would write and thank people who wrote to thank him for wedding presents and when he encountered anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/his-courtesy-was-somewhat-extravagant-he-would-write-and-thank-people/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [Limbo is the place. In Limbo one has natural happiness without the beatific vision; no harps; no communal order; but wine and conversation and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/limbo-is-the-place-in-limbo-one-has-natural-happiness-without-the/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [“What is adolescence without trash?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/what-is-adolescence-without-trash/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [Perhaps host and guest is really the happiest relation for father and son.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/perhaps-host-and-guest-is-really-the-happiest-relation-for-father-and/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) [Explore all 347 Evelyn Waugh quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) ## More Friendship quotes > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I never believed in trying to do anything. Whatever I set out to do I found I had already accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/i-never-believed-in-trying-to-do-anything-whatever-i-set-out-to-do-i/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [“ever day Maureen is Selfish To her friend and Family One she get mad at her friend and family and She need to Grad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-andeson/ever-day-maureen-is-selfish-to-her-friend-and-family-one-she-get-mad/) Maureen Andeson > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [I gave my archive to Emory University because there's a really dear friend who teaches there, Rudolph Byrd, and he's the editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/i-gave-my-archive-to-emory-university-because-there-s-a-really-dear/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Friends are like stars you can't always see them, but you know they're there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unknwon/friends-are-like-stars-you-can-t-always-see-them-but-you-know-they-re/) Unknwon > [I've been writing songs since I was 10 years old and always had a penchant for rhyming. I started listening to hip hop through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hoodie-allen/i-ve-been-writing-songs-since-i-was-10-years-old-and-always-had-a/) [Hoodie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hoodie-allen/) > [If you love some one for who they are not for there body or how many friend so when you say I love you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unknow/if-you-love-some-one-for-who-they-are-not-for-there-body-or-how-many/) Unknow > [“But my best friend from college was silent for a long time. She, of all of my friends, had seen the parade of sad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-groff/but-my-best-friend-from-college-was-silent-for-a-long-time-she-of-all/) [Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/) > [You smile upon your friend to-day, To-day his ills are over; You hearken to the lover's say, And happy is the lover. 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